Information

The Principle Approach

Philosophy of Education

EDUCA'TION, n. [L. educatio.] The bringing up, as of a child; instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties. (American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828)

In Genesis 1:28 God told Adam and Eve to "...Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth..." We believe that in order to successfully fulfill this command, we must properly train those who are to be the influencers of tomorrow - our children - in the Biblical principles from which all truth is derived and upon which a successful and powerful life is built. These principles are:

The principle of Individuality
The principle of Self-Government
The principle of Stewardship
The principle of Christian Character
The Christian Form of Our Government
How the Seed of Local Self-Government is Planted
The Christian Principle of American Political Union

These are the principles that stem from a Biblical worldview; and these are the principles that have been missing, not only in society and in our educational system, but also in the Body of Christ as a whole. It is these principles that form a godly life, a family, or a nation.

This "principle approach" to education is classical in style. A classical education is not merely the study of Homer, Latin, and Greek. It is a rigorous and systematic method by which children will have the opportunity to understand the origin and process of things, to understand cause and effect, to be able to take the information they learn, allow it to pass through the filter of what God has established as the foundations for life, and pour forth the revelation they get from that education.

This Classical approach to education allows children to develop their education through three stages:
In the first stage, 1st - 4th grade, the foundations and the building blocks of learning are established in every subject.
In the second stage, 5th - 8th grade, children begin to think more analytically; they understand the law of cause and effect, the internal leading to the external. This is where the capacity for abstract thought is growing and where the concept of critical and analytical thinking is developed.
The third and final stage, high school, is where the application of that analytical thinking, along with the foundations of learning previously established, results in the written and spoken expression of knowledge that is scholarly, eloquent, and powerful!
Within the classical education model is a systematic learning process designed to create consistency and clarity no matter what the subject. This process involves the restoration of the four R's to teaching and learning:

Research - Research is the exploration of a subject using various resources including the Bible, original documents, and well-written resources.
Reason - Reasoning according to a Biblical world view uses the fundamental principles of truth from the Word of God as the basis for measuring every fact or piece of information. The Bible, as the great sieve of all knowledge, becomes the acid test for truth, virtue, and effectiveness.
Relating - Relating is the process of applying what the student has researched to his or her every day life, empowering every child to make decisions that produce results that will honor God, family, and mankind.
Recording - After having gone through the process of researching, reasoning, and relating, the student is now taught to record his or her conclusions on paper in an accurate, original, and intelligent manner.
We believe that this approach will build the foundations and skills for young, intelligent men and women of God to be able to succeed in any future endeavor!